Marine propulsion units



Aug. 28, 1962 P. M. HAMLYN ETAL 3,051,119

MARINE PRoPULsIoN UNITS Y PETE/ MHA/WL YN J2e/nf E. .SA/f4 4A/ I Bf w-/v6" #ORS/*Www Aug. 28, 1962 P. M. HAMLYN ETAL 3,051,119

MARINE PRoPULsIoN UNITS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 18, 1961 Aug. 28,1962 P. M. HAMLYN ETAL. 3,051,119

AMARINE PROPULSION UNITS Filed Dec. 18, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 UnitedStates Patent O Peter Morton Hamiyn, Totney House, Kingsdown, Bath,Somerset, England; .lohn Edwin Snelliing, Woodiea House, Stockwood Vale,ieynsham, near Bristol, Somerset, England; and Bevan Graham Horstmann, 1Fersfeld, Perrymead, Bath, Somerset, England Fiied Dec. 18, 1961, Ser.No. 166,940

3 Claims. (Cl. 11S- 35) This invention relates to marine propulsionunits of the type adapted to be attached to the transom of a boat, andincluding a main casing containing a main driving shaft geared to drivea propeller shaft with the propeller mounted on the bottom of thecasing, and a rudder also mounted on the casing astern of the propeller,said casing being supported by a transom bracket so that the Whole unitis capable of tilting in a vertical plane should underwater obstacles beencountered when moving ahead. Marine propulsion units constructedaccording to the foregoing description are referred to herein asy of thetype described.

While it is reasonably simple to provide for operating the rudder ofsuch a unit from a rudder post mounted on the stern of the boat if thetilting action is omitted, it becomes a complicated matter when the unitis movable in relation to the rudder post. The object of the inventionisto provide a simple and elicient device for transferringtransom-located rudder post movements to the rudder without having touncouple the steering arrangements when providing for tilting.

According to the invention in a marine propulsion unit of the typedescribed the main casing houses a rudder mounting shaft projectingtherefrom at its lower end which carries the rudder, and the unit iscombined with a separate rudder post outside the main casing adapted toybe mounted on the boats transom, the post and mounting shaft eachhaving an arm (the post arm and shaft arm respectively) projectingtherefrom and turnable therewith, and over the main casing there ismounted, concentrically with the units axis of tilt, an arcuate frame ofchannel section the mounting of said arcuate frame being on a pivotalaxis upstanding from the casingapproximately radial of the frame fromnear its middle, the respective free ends of the post and shaft armsbeing freely located in the channel of said arcuate frame wherebymovement of the arm from the said post is communicated to the mountingshaft arm.

By this construction the partial rotation of the rudder post causes thearcuate frame to perform a swivel movement rotating on the main casingby means of the engagement of the post arm with the frame, and the framein turn causes the rudder mounting shaft to .rotate through its shaftarm with which the frame is engaged. Notwithstanding this steeringconnection between the fixed axis rudder post located outside the maincasing and the rudder mounting shaft, the unit comprising the maincasing with its rudder, rudder mounting shaft and pivoted arcuate frame,may be freely tilted on its tilting axis because the arcuate frame willbe carried with the main casing and describe a movement about itsarcuate centre, whereupon its channel will run over the free end of therudder post armwhich is non-movable in the vertical direction.

In order that the said invention may be readily understood an embodimentthereof will be described, by way lof example, with the aid of ltheaccompanying drawings in which:

.FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the unit attached to the transom of awaterborne vessel;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section of the unit on ya plane passing throughthe axis of the propeller shaft, and

FIGURES 3 and 4 are respectively sections on the lines i 3,55 1,1 i 9Patented Aug. V28, 1962 CCN III-III and IV-IV 'of FIGURE 2 drawn to alarger scale.

- The general view `depicted in lFIGURE l shows a marine propulsion unitembodying the invention and from this illustration there will be noted amain casing of a general T-shape designated as a whole by the numeral 1having a top casing part 2 (the top bar of the T) and a 4depending part3 (the leg of the T). This casing is mounted on a transom bracket 4adapted to be secured to the transom 5 of a waterborne vessel 6. Thetransom bracket 4 has a pair of spaced apart parallel plate parts 7constituting `trunnion bearings between which the top partV 2 of themain casing is mounted, being pivoted on a horizontal axis x-y whichcoincides with the axis of the nut 8 and a shaft 14 (FIGURE 2); One ofthe said plate parts 7 is seen in FIGURE 1 the other being hidden behinda casing 17 also carried by the transom bracket 4. There is a Verticalrudder post 9 rotatable in lugs 10 on the base plate part of the transombracket 4, externally of the casing and within the tubular stern part 11of the leg 3 of the T-shape main casing 1 there is rotatably mounted arudder mounting shaft 15 (see FIGURE 2) operating the rudder 12. In thelarger body part of the depending leg 3 of the main casing there is asub-shaft 16 (see FIGURE 2) for the propeller 13. The main casing 1 canswing about the axis x-y in the fore and aft direction when the unitencounters an obstacle.

Across the interior of the top 2 of the casing 1, and mounted at eachend in suitable bearings is the aforesaid shaft 14 which is a tubularhorizontal power-driven shaft, i.e. the main shaft of the unit, .andthis extends out of the casing at one end thereof into the aforesaidfixed casing 17. This .contains a chain-sprocket arranged to drive themain shaft 14 through a suitable disc clutch. The latter iS normallyheld in the engaged condition by springs adapted to press an end plate`of .the casing against vthe disc assembly, so that -declutching can lbeeected by means of an internal push rod passing through the cen-tre ofthe clutch assembly and into the main shaft. The fixed casing 17containing the chain sprocket and clutch is continued through thetransom 5 as indicated at 18 (FIGURE 1), and at the inboard end 19 thereis mounted a second chain sprocket mounted in suitable bearingsV withinthe casing and formed with a central splined hole through which thedriving shaft of an internal combustion engine can be passed for drivingengagement. A driving chain connects the two `sprockets .so Ithat theengine can transmit its power to the aforesaid main shaft 114 of thepropulsion lunit via the clutch just described. 'Ilhe construction ofthe shaft, push rod, clutch and general driving and control mechanismforms no part of the present invention, and details thereof can be seenin co-pending application No. 160,762 tiled December 20, 1961.

The said main shaft 14 is adapted to drive the aforesaid sub-shaft 16disposed at right-angles to the main shaft 14 and extending downwardlywithin the leg 3 of the T shaped casing l. It terminates near the footof the casing in a bevel drive 20 to Ia propeller shaft 21 which extendsout of the casing to drive the propeller 13.

Astern of the sub-shaft, the main casing 1 is formed downwardly from thecrossdbar 2 of the T-shape along the leg 3 of the T with the aforesaidtubular housing 11 for the rudder mounting shaft 15 journalled thereinat top and bottom and extending out at the bottom to carry the rudder12.

Over the .top of the main casing 1 there is pivotally mounted an arcuateframe 22 (roughly .a semi-circle). The centre of the arc of this framelies approximately on the axis of ltilt x-y of the main casing, and itspivotal axis a-b passes through a swivel pin 23 upstanding from thecasing and iapproximately radial of the frame extending from near themiddle of its larcuate length to a point near the axis of tilt,Y'llhersaid frame 22 is of channel section with the channel facingoutwardl 'Ihe pivotal mounting arrangement on the axis a-b isv such thatthe Vframe may be turned independently of the casing 1 with itswperiphery moving on a path generating approximately a ,of theframe,assuming the same is llying in its central (fore-Vand-aft) position, isin a vertical plane normal toV thelaxis x-y of tilt: c v

"As previouslyidescribed, from the bracket plate 4 at- Y tached. to; thetransom 5Vthere extends the pair of spaced parallel-arms# constitutingtrunnion supports for the casing; The said bracket isalsoformed with thelafore-V said spacedrco-.axial mounting lugs and a socket 10a for -therudder post. 9. Y

dder post is a sleeve 24tiixedly carry- Y Splined on the I Y Y ingani-arm 25 -extending radially outwards and then upwards towards theaforesaid arcuate frame 22. Y Its'rend terminates ina spherical knob 26constituting Ia ball joint housed in a slipper 27 disposed within'thechannelof the frame. i a On the aforesaid rudder mounting shaftrotatably carried in thecasing tubular part 11 and where it extends outof the Itop of its tubular housing 111, there is also splined an iarm 28similar to arm 25 carried by the rudder post 24, and' this :arm extendsyaway astern ofthe main casing and its knobbed end 29 pivoterL-to aslider is located inthe channel of the arcuate frame diametricallyopposite the location of the end 26 of the rudder lpost arm 25.

Operation of. the rudder post25 will turn the frame 22 swivel-wise aboutthe axis a--b and lasia result will cause .the ruddermountingV shaft 15to--turnby means of itsrarm 28. 'Should the unit swing upwardly' awayfrom the transom, thegframe 2 2 will move with the casing in al`clockwise direction with reference to FIGURE?, and Vthere willberelativesliding movement between it and thejarm ZS-of -therudder post.

f The partsfmarked comprise .a locking arrangement associatedwiththevtilting ofthe unit, and form no part of the present: invention.Details vthereof are described in eo-` pending applicationNoi 160,041tiled December 18, 1961.

We claim: v f Y Y l.u Marine 'propulsion unit attachablerto boats,including a main casing containing apmainrdriving shaft geared to driveapropeller mounted on the bottom of thecasing,

4 a rudder also mounted on the casing asternrof the propeller, saidcasing being supported by a transom bracket in a manner whereby the unitis capable of tilting, a rudder mounting shaft housed within said casingand carrying the rudder, the unit beingcombined'with a .separate rudderpost outside the main casingradapted to be mounted yon a boats transom,the post and mounting shaft each having an arm (the Vpost arm and shaftarm respectively) projecting therefrom and turnable therewith, anarcuate frame ofY channel section mounted over the main casingVconcentric with the units axis of tilt, the mounting of said arcuateframe being on a. pivotal axis upstanding from the casing approximatelyradial of the frame, the respective free ends of the post and shaft armsbeing freely located in the channel of said arcuate frame wherebymovement of the arm from said post is communicated to the mounting shaftarm. Y Y

v2. A marine propulsion unit as claimedrin claim V1 in which the transombracket by which the unit is supported is formed with lugs in which therudder post is rotatable, the arm projecting from said post terminatingin arslipper slidable in the groove of the arcuate frame and connectedto the arm byV a ball joint whereby the arm can turn the Y frame aboutits pivot swivel-Wise on the main casing,

While the unit can swing about its tilting causing relative slidingmovement between the arcuate frame and the said slipper. y v

3. A marine propulsion unit according to claim 1 in which the maincasing is of general T -shape having a top casing part (the top bar ofthe T) and a depending part (the leg of the T), the latterpart of thecasing housing a sub-shaft geared to the main shaft and drivingv thepropeller, and also having a tubular stern part in'which is journall'edthe rudder mounting shaft extending out of the bottom to carry therudder and out of the top to carry the shaft arm, the said shaft armbeing fitted With a pivoted slider to engage in the groove ofthe arcuateframe.

References Cited in the iile of this patent( Y UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany May 14. 1958

